Yongridan-gil raw fish restaurant with counter seats: Joseonmakhae

Joseonmakhae, a Yongridan-gil favorite, for signature makhoe and late-night-diner vibes

What kind of place is Joseonmakhae?

• Location: Yongsan-gu, Seoul (Yongridan-gil / alley near Samgakji Station)
• Character: a new makhoe (raw sliced fish) specialty restaurant serving fresh fish shipped up from Pohang every morning, at reasonable prices
• Signature dish: signature sashimi (Pohang flathead flounder and gurnard sashimi + secret sauce + seaweed wraps), a fresh makhoe lineup that changes day to day
• Mood: a space that glows softly deep in the alley late at night, giving off a cozy, late-night-diner feel and a signature atmosphere of its own
• Note: has a late-night-diner mood, but doesn't actually operate late into the night

Inside Joseonmakhae and its dachi counter seats

Inside Joseonmakhae there's an 8-person table, which looked great for group gatherings. The outside has such a distinctive look, and the inside is cozy on top of that... I found myself thinking I'd want to come back here for a meal with friends. The prices are reasonable too.

This is the dachi (kitchen-facing bar) seat, where you can watch the kitchen at work. When I showed up late at Joseonmakhae, this Yongridan-gil favorite, I instinctively wanted to sit right here. The kitchen view is that good, and you can watch the cooking happen — it seemed like a great spot for eating and drinking solo, and the dachi counter space felt really wide and comfortable too.

Joseonmakhae is one of the newer spots among the Yongridan-gil and Samgakji Station favorites, and since it just opened, word hasn't quite spread among food lovers yet. Maybe that's lucky for us!? Though it looked like some early tasters had already come through the spacious hall.

We started with a cold draft beer to quench our thirst, and when we asked for a recommendation, it was of course the signature makhoe. We'd already spotted it on the menu ourselves.

The signature makhoe: today, gurnard and flathead flounder

True to its name, Joseonmakhae gets its fish shipped in fresh from Pohang every morning, and the lineup changes daily depending on availability. Today's signature makhoe was wild-caught gurnard and flathead flounder. Fresh raw fish, straight up from Pohang the same day!

The gurnard and flounder sashimi, cut thin-sliced style, come with a slightly sweet, tangy-fresh makjang sauce (this was seriously good, I can't even put it into words), along with cabbage and minari (water dropwort) — the minari's crunch plays off the texture of the sashimi while leaving a clean, fresh finish, alongside a sweet red vegetable seasoning.

How to eat Joseonmakhae's makhoe with seaweed and secret sauce

There's a helpful guide on how to eat it right.

Wrap all three of these in seaweed, dip in mayo, pop it in your mouth, and you'll let out a happy roar as you chew.

To finish, a palate cleanser of white kimchi... and then a cold draft beer to wrap it up... I was so happy that day. I think the real cheat code at Joseonmakhae, this Yongridan-gil favorite, lies in exactly this way of enjoying the signature sashimi. Dipping plenty of the flounder sashimi into the special secret sauce and wrapping it with seaweed is a combination that both Koreans and foreigners would love. The sweet-yet-spicy secret sauce lifts up the clean flavor of the thin-sliced fish, and the seaweed ties it all together perfectly...

Corn skewers: the snack that calls for another beer

The grilled corn skewers they brought out at the end are Joseonmakhae's cheat code, this Yongridan-gil favorite. Watch out — this little thing will have you knocking back beer after beer. Between the carefully made spread of makhoe and the cozy comfort the space itself provides, it was a happy time from start to finish. If you want to step away from the chaos of daily life and taste something truly fresh from the sea, I highly recommend seeking out Joseonmakhae, glowing softly in its alley, a true Yongridan-gil favorite. It's bound to earn a spot on your list of favorite Samgakji Station restaurants.

Walking in right before closing: a late-night diner mood

My first impression of Joseonmakhae, this Yongridan-gil favorite, comes from arriving right as they were about to close. We rushed in just before the deadline. I fell for the warm exterior first — a single soft light glowing alone in the dark alley, just like a late-night diner — and practically begged our way in. The fact that they let us in despite the unfavorable hours felt like something out of a late-night diner too, but both the exterior and interior turned out to be full of charm. The window seat especially... I'll have to sit there next time.

Even though the restaurant doesn't actually stay open late into the night as a regular thing, the distinctive mood and signature sense of space it carries seem more than enough to earn it word-of-mouth fame as a Yongridan-gil and Samgakji Station favorite in the neighborhood. So go ahead, grab a window seat and enjoy the signature makhoe and late-night-diner feel at Joseonmakhae in Yongridan-gil.